Language of arguments used in the sample speaking performance of TOEFLiBT

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY TẠ THỊ PHƯỞNG •• LANGUAGE OF ARGUMENTS USED IN THE SAMPLE SPEAKING PERFORMANCE OF TOEFL IBT Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 Supervisor: NGŨ THIỆN HÙNG, Ph.D BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN TẠ THỊ PHƯỞNG •• NGƠN NGỮ TRANH LUẬN SỬ DỤNG •• TRONG CÁC BÀI NĨI MẪU CỦA TOEFL IBT Chuyên ngành: Mã số: Ngôn ngữ Anh 8220201 Người hướng dẫn: TS NGŨ THIỆN HÙNG STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby certify my authorship that the Master thesis entitled “Language of arguments used in the sample speaking performance of TOEFL iBT” is entirely the result of my own research, except where otherwise referenced or acknowledged This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or diploma at any other institutions Binh Dinh, 2020 Tạ Thị Phưởng ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Ngu Thien Hung for his patience, encouragement, valuable guidance and beneficial criticism throughout my research Without his great support, this thesis would not have been accomplished in time I am extremely grateful to all my lecturers who provided us with essential knowledge for this thesis Special thanks goes to my classmates who gave me their help during the time I conducted the study I would like to thank my school-board, my colleagues who spent their golden time encouraging me to this thesis Last but not least, I would like to express my special thanks to my family, especially my parents and my husband who gave me unconditioned love and support, which is very significant for me to fulfill this work ABSTRACT This study aims to examine types and linguistic features of arguments in the speaking samples of TOEFL iBT test in order to help learners of TOEFL iBT have a better insight in studying this kind of language A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is applied to seek descriptive information of language of arguments Eighty speaking samples containing arguments collected aims at identifying arguments' types and linguistic features of this kind of language The results reveals that both inductive and deductive arguments are employed in the TOEFL iBT speaking test In terms of semantic features, six process types are found in the arguments used by the test takers In terms of syntactic features, premises and conclusion of arguments are absolutely dominated by Declarative mood with the subject-finite position to indicate the role of the test takers and the readers/listeners Regarding the use of clause types in terms of syntactic features, the findings show that different types of clauses are employed by the test takers with different rates It is hoped that the results of this study will provide useful knowledge of arguments in TOEFL iBT speaking and contribute to the teaching and learning of TOEFL iBT, especially for those who are interested in this kind of language TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS A: Accom : Adjunct AdjG: Adjective Group C: Compliment Cir: C loc: Co: Cs: Accompaniment Circumstance Locative Compliment Object Compliment Subject Compliment F: Finite NG: Nominal Group O: Object Od: Direct Object Oi: Indirect Object Prepositional Object Op: P: Predicator Pro: Process S: Sub: Subject Subordinate clause LIST OF TABLES Number Tables Page 2.1 Mood structure 18 4.1 Frequency of occurrence of type of arguments 27 4.2 Frequency of occurrence of process types of premises 38 4.3 Summary of processes found in premises 47 4.4 Frequency of occurrence of process types of conclusion 48 4.5 Summary of processes found in conclusion 52 4.6 The percentage of mood type in arguments 53 4.7 Summary of basic clause types and syntactic patterns of 67 the clause expressing premises 4.8 Frequency of occurrence of clause types in conclusion 68 4.9 Summary of basic clause types and syntactic patterns of 72 the clause expressing conclusion LIST OF FIGURES Number 4.1 Figures Types of arguments in independent tasks and integrated Page 28 tasks 4.2 Frequency of occurrence of clause types in premises 54 10 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 RATIONALE English can be seen as the most widely language because people use English every part of the world English is used for different purposes such as communicating, applying for a job in a foreign company or enrolling in an English-speaking university For the assessment of their English proficiency, learners need to be recognized with the standardized tests such as TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), IELTS (International English Language Test System) or TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language, internet -Based Test) As we all know, TOEFL iBT is one of the major Englishlanguage tests that are widely used by many employers and universities around the world to assess the language skills of non-native speakers The TOEFL iBT consists of four sections: reading, listening, speaking and writing While questions in the reading and listening TOEFL iBT test are all multiple-choice, tasks in speaking and writing sections are known as constructive tasks because it requires learners' argumentation in their performances According to Carnagey and Esenwein (1915), “argumentation is the process of producing conviction by means of reasoning” It is “a set of arguments used to explain something or to persuade people” (Cambridge dictionary) Besides writing, speaking is the other skill that need speaker's good argumentation In order to deal with tasks in speaking section, the test takers need to use well-structured and persuasive arguments to give opinions in independent tasks and show how they solve problems arising from the integrated tasks It is obvious that a successful performance of TOEFL iBT speaking test depends on the language of arguments used in the performance Thanks to arguments, the ideas presented by the test takers are more cogent and persuasive premises and conclusion By following the knowledge of arguments, teachers can give some useful strategies and find the best method for teaching arguments to help learners use this kind of language effectively Furthermore, materials for practicing arguments in speaking to support the TOEFL iBT test are necessary to be designed by the teachers to help learners improve their argumentative skill For learners and test takers of TOEFL iBT, the results of the study are hoped to help them understand deeply the use of arguments that are preferred by many test takers Furthermore, understanding how to build arguments effectively in speaking not only helps learners achieve high score in speaking but also give them some useful skills in constructing arguments in writing in TOEFL iBT as well as in applying arguments in any field that need good argumentation 5.3 LIMITATIONS Although there have been much efforts in conducting the research, there still exists some limitations and shortcomings Because of the shortage of time, not many speaking samples from the internet were collected to enrich the number of data If many speaking samples of TOEFL iBT were collected from the internet, then the conclusion of the study will be more convinced and the results can be more helpful Furthermore, this thesis is an investigation into types as well as linguistic features of argument in the speaking performance of TOEFL IBT test However, because of the lack of time, just semantic and syntactic features of language are analyzed, the pragmatic features is not paid attention, so that the data is not explored deeply Finally, due to the inexperienced researcher's ability in doing research, there cannot avoid some weaknesses and mistakes However, it is hoped that this thesis is useful for those who are really interested in this study 5.4 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH This thesis has attempted to investigate types and linguistic features of argument However, in terms of linguistic features, the author just focuses on semantic and syntactic features, pragmatic features is not mentioned It is hoped that the next researcher will focus on the pragmatic features of argument In the TOEFL iBT test, speaking and writing are the two skills that needs good argumentation Because of the shortage of time, just arguments in speaking skill are analyzed Therefore, I would like to suggest an investigation about some other aspects of language of arguments in writing samples so that learners of TOEFL iBT can have a general view about arguments both in speaking and writing skills REFERENCES Bassham, G & William Irwin, Henry Nardone, James M Wallace (2010) Critical thinking: A Student's Introduction McGraw-Hill Bloor, T & Bloor, M (2004) The Functional Analysis of English Oxford Oxford University Press Brink-Budgen, R (2000) Critical Thinking for Students: Learn the Skills of Critical Assessment and Effective Argument 3rd Edition HowtoBook Butt, David & Fahey Rhondda, Feez Susan, Spinks Sue, Yallop Colin (1996) Using Functional Grammar: An Explorer's Guide 2nd ed Sydney: National Centra for English Language Teaching and Research Maxquarie University Carnagey, D and Esenwein, J Berg (1915) The Art of Public Speaking Springfield, Mass Downing, A & P Locke (2006) English Grammar A University Course 2nd Edition London & New York: Routledge Edmunds, P., McKinnon, N and Zeter, J (2009) Building skills for TOEFL iBT 2nd Edition Compass Publishing Edmunds, P., McKinnon, N and Zeter, J (2009) Developing skills for TOEFL iBT 2nd Edition Compass Publishing Eggins, S (2004) An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics: 2nd Edition London: MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall Halliday, M A K., & Matthiessen, C (2014) Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar 4th Edition Oxon Routledge Macgillivray, M., Yancey, P., Zeter, J and Malarcher, C (2009) Mastering skills for TOEFL iBT 2nd Edition Compass Publishing Morrow, David R and Weston, A (2011) A workbook for argument: a complete course in critical thinking Hackett Publishing Company, Inc Quirk, Randolph, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartik (1985) A comprehensive grammar of the English language London: Longman Stirling, B (2009) Speaking and Wring strategies for the TOEFL iBT Nova Press USA Los Angeles: Mayfield Avenue Swatridge, C (2014) Oxford guide to effective argument and Critical thinking, Oxford University Press Thompson, G (2014) Introducing functional grammar 3rd Edition New York, NY: Routledge Turner, R P (1966) Grammar review for technical writers New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Weston, A (2017) A Rulebook for arguments 5th Edition Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc Master theses: Huỳnh Ngọc Mai (2011) A discourse analysis of the synonymous and antonymous expressions used in Reading passages of TOEFL iBT MA thesis, Da Nang University Lê Thị Như Liên (2011) An Investigation into the Linguistic Devices to Signal Implications in the Conversation Extracts in TOEFL iBT MA thesis, Da Nang University Trần Lê Trúc Thư (2009) A Contrastive Analysis of Common Connectors in Argumentation in English and Vietnamese MA thesis, Da Nang University Võ Thị Thanh Nga (2006) An Investigation into Semantic and Functional Features of Commonly-Used Connectors Expressing Contrastive Argumentation- English vs Vietnamese MA thesis, Da Nang University Võ Thị Hà Tiên (2016) An investigation into pragmatic features in TOEFL iBT Listening practice tests MA thesis, Da Nang University Websites: https://www.examword.com/toefl-practice/speaking-question https://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/ets-toefl-practice-speaking.htm https://press.rebus.community/uwmpublicspeaking/chapter/chapter-12developing-strong-arguments/ https://www.bestmytest.com/blog/toefl/new-toefl-speaking-topics-2019 Pl90 APPENDIX A 20 TOEFL IBT SPEAKING SAMPLES IN INDEPENDENT TASKS (INDE) INDE My favourite possession is my digital camera I love it because it is easy to use It focuses automatically, so I can always take good pictures Also, it allows me to create lasting memories I like to take pictures of my friends and family on special occasions, so I can remember what a good time we had INDE The best advice I received was to study English First, I think it was good because learning English helps me prepare for college This is because I want to study abroad in an English-speaking country Second, the advice has also helped me socially For example, since I am studying English, I joined the English club at school and made some new friends INDE Thunder scared me more than anything else when I was younger I was afraid because it made such a loud noise I would put my hands over my ears to block it out It also frightened me since I never knew when it was coming I did not like feeling anxious while I waited for the next thunderclap INDE I would prefer to live in a house That is because many apartment buildings not allow you to have pets I want a dog, and if I lived in an apartment, I would probably could not have one Also, it is better to reside in a house since it is bigger I would have an easier time being alone if I wanted to INDE I would prefer to live in an apartment That is because it is easy to get to know your neighbors when you live in an apartment building I would like to be able to make new friends Also, it is better to reside in an apartment since it is cheaper I would have more money to spend on other Pl91 things INDE I would prefer to go on vacation in a foreign country with a tour group First, I think it is better because I would not have to plan out everything That way, I could relax and enjoy my vacation Second, it is also better to go with a group because you are with a bunch of other tourists Thus, you get to meet other people and make friends in your group INDE I would prefer to go on vacation in a foreign country on my own First, I think this is better because I would have more freedom That way, I could change my plans if I am in an interesting place and want to stay longer Second, it is also better to go alone because then I am not dependent on other people Thus, I would not have to wait on tour group members who got lost INDE My family's expectations have helped me My family expects me to be a good student Because of their expectations, I am at the top of my class, which will help me get into college In addition, they expect me to be generous to others As a result, I have learned to give to other people, so I have lots of friends INDE My family's expectations have been a problem My family expects me to be an excellent musician Because of their expectations, I have to take piano lessons, even though I not like them In addition, they expect me to practice the piano every day after school As a result, I can't play soccer with my friends which is what I really enjoy doing INDE 10 The most stressful situation for me is taking exams First, I never seem to be able to complete exams within the time limit Knowing this, I get more and more nervous as the time passes Second, I worry about my future For example, if I fail an exam, I feel pressure that I will not get into a good university INDE 11 My favorite sport is soccer I love soccer because it is a fast Pl92 game There is always excitement and activity while playing soccer Also, I like it because it is straightforward to play You just need a field, a ball, and some friends to get a match going Once you have those things, you can easily have a recreational game of soccer INDE 12 If I could purchase an expensive item right now, I would buy a laptop computer First, they are very useful I could use it to play computer games I could also use it to my homework, which is what I would like most about having a laptop Also, I like that it is portable I could carry it with me wherever I go It is small and light and would fit in my backpack INDE 13 My favorite childhood memory is when I went to the beach for the first time I love this memory because I had never seen the ocean before My impression of it was that it was vast and beautiful It was also the first time I went fishing My father taught me how to fish that day, and I caught two enormous fish INDE 14 I prefer to have just a few close friends instead of many friends I can spend more time with a few close friends and get to know them really well That way I can develop lifelong friendship with them Also, having a lot of friends can cause problems When I had a lot of friends, it seemed like they were always getting into arguments with each other INDE 15 I think it is better to take many different courses at university First, it is an opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge I will be able to learn about new things In addition, I will be able to meet people who have different interests than me I am certain that I would get tired of studying the same thing constantly, even if it was something I really liked INDE 16 I think it is better to make detailed plans for a vacation To start, it lets you make the most of your vacation time For instance, I had detailed plans when I went to Paris, so I did not waste time figuring out Pl93 directions Also, making detailed plans ensures you will have what you need when you arrive That way, you not have to worry about securing a hotel room or finding places to eat., INDE 17 I think it is better to have brothers and sisters than to be an only child This is because without siblings you will be lonely For example, my brother and I really close and like to things together Another reason is that siblings will always help you out I can count on my brother to give me good advice when I have problems INDE 18 One person who has helped me become who I am today is my father First of all, he taught me dedication I joined the soccer team when I was younger, and wanted to quit because I was not talented But he encouraged me to keep practicing, and I got better Second, he taught me to be generous Because of my father, I spend time each week volunteering to help kids learn to read INDE 19 My uncle Ron, a firefighter, has a job that I admire I admire this job for two reasons First, everywhere he goes, people respect him They say that he is courageous for the work that he does They admire him Second, he is paid to what he loves most He says he always wanted to aid people Being a firefighter is how he helps people Plus, he gets a very good salary INDE 20 I feel comfortable talking with my older sister about my problems First, she is a good listener She patient and pays attention when I tell her my problems She often has useful advice or good solutions Second, she knows what to say because she has lots of experience She is older than I am and once had similar problems, so she knows what to Pl94 APPENDIX B 20 TOEFL IBT SPEAKING SAMPLES IN INTEGRATED TASKS (INTE) INTE The man is having problems with biology concepts that will be on the midterm, I think he should speak to his professor Professors have office hours so they can help students It is unlikely that she will think he is lazy Also, the professor could give him some hints about what will be on the test He could then focus on studying the information that is important for the test INTE The man is having problems with biology concepts that will be on the midterm I think he should get a tutor Tutors are available so they can help students It is likely They have taken the class and know what the man should study for the midterm Also, he is not likely to have another bad experience with a tutor He could get a great tutor that is very helpful INTE The woman's problem is that she wants to go on vacation, but she does not have enough money I think the woman should ask her parents for the money First, they gave her money before, so they will probably it again Second, her parents should help her out when she needs it They would probably give her the money because they not want her grades suffers from working overtime INTE The woman's problem is that she wants to go to the beach for a vacation, but needs more money I think the woman should work overtime to earn the money First, it will show that she is responsible Second, her parents already loaned her some money for school They probably not want to lend her any money for a vacation because it is something that is necessary INTE The man needs to notify his professor that he will be absent from class but does not want to tell him in person I think he should email the Pl95 professor That is because email is a common way to communicate The professor probably checks his email daily, so he would receive the man's message Also, he would be communicating directly with the professor That way, the professor would be able to tell him how to prepare for the next class INTE The man needs to notify his professor that he will not be in class but does not want to tell him face to face I think he should tell the teaching assistant That is because he is less intimidating than the professor The professor makes the man uncomfortable, so he could avoid that by talking to the assistant Also, he would have someone to verify his reason for missing class That way, the assistant can support him if the professor asks why he was gone INTE The woman wants to submit an essay to the literary magazine, but she has missed the deadline I think that the woman should see the editor The editor might make an exception Instead of thinking the woman is pushy, she may think she really wants her essay published and accept it Also, the literary magazine might lose their funding If the woman does not ask the editor to make an exception, she may never get her essay published INTE The man's problem is that the Anthropology Club has invited a guest lecturer, but she has cancelled I think the man should postpone First, more people would come Not many people will attend if they have already heard the club sponsor's lecturers Also, scheduling it next month should not be a problem Even though students will be studying for finals, they would probably be willing to take an hour or two off to attend the seminar if they were interested in it INTE The man's problem is that he wants to get teaching experience before he becomes a teacher I think that the first choice is the better: he should work with his professor to an independent project First, it will help him get Pl96 experience right now Teaching is something I think you need a lot of practice to get good at Second, it will give him a chance to change his mind If he gets experience now and finds that he does not like to teach, then he could something else INTE 10 The man's problem is that he wants to get teaching experience before he becomes a teacher I think the second 'choice is better: he should wait until he gets to grad school First, he is really busy right now Teaching is something that you need to devote a lot of time to, and he does not have enough time Second, he will get more valuable experience in grad school He can teach real classes, which will give him more genuine teaching experience INTE 11 The man has to choose between participating in a team debate or attending a national debate conference I think he should go to the conference First of all, it is an excellent opportunity If he goes, he could learn a lot and become a better debater for his team Second, he says his teammates are friends, so they should understand that this is important to him Next time, he will be there and the team will be even better, so they should understand that it would help the team INTE 12 The man has to choose between participating in a team debate or attending a national debate conference I think he should stay and attend the team debate First of all, his team is counting on him If they expect him to be there and they are his friends, then it is important for him to honor his commitments Second, he can always go to another conference Next time, he can plan ahead to attend the conference, so that he does not create a conflict in his schedule like this time INTE 13 The woman is organizing a Halloween dance, and the club that was funding it backed out at the last minute The man says she will either Pl97 have to cancel the dance or find a new sponsor I think it is best for her to look for a new sponsor That way, she will not disappoint all the people-like her friend-who have already made costumes Also, a week and a half is plenty of time to find a new sponsor and I think her efforts would be worth it INTE 14 The man has to get to an interview across town, but his car will not start The woman suggests either taking the bus or asking his roommate if he could borrow his car I think he should ask to borrow his roommate's car I think this is the better option because his roommate may not need it that afternoon and might be happy to lend it Also, the man would not have to worry about being late to his interview The speakers agree that the bus is slow, so it is a bad idea to take it to such an important interview INTE 15 The woman is currently getting a C in her organic chemistry class She needs to improve her grade to keep her scholarship The man suggests that she either request to take the class as a pass or fail or that she go to tutoring sessions I think the first option is best Since she is already busy with work and other classes, adding tutoring sessions to her busy schedule might make her fall behind in other areas This could end up hurting her GPA even more Also, if she takes the class as a pass or fail, it will not affect her GPA at all It will not matter if she gets a C in the class This will relieve some of the pressure the girl feels INTE 16 The woman is currently getting a C in her organic chemistry class She needs to improve her grade to keep her scholarship The man suggests that she either request to take the class as a pass or fail or that she go to tutoring sessions I think the second option is best Since she is having trouble with the class, I think it would be worthwhile to schedule study time with tutors who can help her prepare for the tests This could help her learn the material really well Also, if she does well on the next test, she might get a Pl98 good grade in the class It could raise her GPA This will not happen, however, if she takes the class as a pass or fail INTE 17 The man has to visit his grandfather in the hospital, and he will not be back in time to go on a field trip with his class on Friday The trip is a big part of his grade The woman suggests that he either meet up with the class Saturday morning or ask the professor for an alternative assignment I think it would be better for him to catch up with the group on Saturday Since there are lots of signs to help him find out where to go, he should be able to locate the class easily Also, he will not have to worry about whether or not the professor will allow him to an alternative assignment It is too risky to depend solely on the professor's kindness INTE 18 The man has to visit his grandfather in the hospital, and he will not be back in time to go on a field trip with his class on Friday The trip is a big part of his grade The woman suggests that he either meet up with the class Saturday morning or ask the professor for an alternative assignment I think it would be better for him to ask his professor for an alternative assignment Since this is an emergency, his professor will probably allow him to another assignment Also, the man will not have to worry about getting lost It is too risky to try and find his way around as he does not know the area well INTE 19 The woman needs to live on campus to go to school, but she cannot afford to live in the dorms The man suggests that she get a work-study job or that she take out a loan I think she should get a work-study job It will be better to pay costs off now than later, in my opinion This option will give the woman the money to live on campus without going into debt She will not have to worry about paying back a loan when she graduates In addition, with a work-study job, she will be able to work around her own schedule This way, Pl99 the woman will not have to worry about missing class or getting behind on her schoolwork INTE 20 The woman needs to live on campus to go to school, but she can't afford to live in the dorms The man suggests that she get a work-study job or that she take out a loan I think she should take out a loan It will give her the money to live on campus without having to work This option will allow the woman to concentrate more on her schoolwork She will not have the added stress of maintaining a job and a heavy course load In addition, taking out a loan will also allow her to pay for housing at the beginning of the semester This way, she will not have to wait until she gets money from working during the school year ... features of arguments used in the sample speaking performance of TOEFL iBT? 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY The focus of the study is mainly on the analysis of language used in arguments in the TOEFL iBT speaking. .. kinds of arguments are used in the sample speaking performance of TOEFL iBT? 2) What are the semantic features of arguments used in the sample speaking performance of TOEFL iBT? 3) What are the. .. examining arguments' types and linguistic features of language of arguments in the sample speaking performance of TOEFL iBT and providing the learners as potential test takers with an insight into